Sony Michel #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs runs the ball against Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter of a game at Neyland Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Georgia won 41-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Heading into Saturday’s action, only Georgia and Alabama remained unbeaten among SEC teams.

Under second-year head coach Smart, Georgia is trying to rebuild its image of a traditional powerhouse.

The ultimate goal is to breach ‘Bama, which has won the last three conference crowns, is unbeaten against SEC competition in the last 18 meetings and has claimed four of the last eight national championships.

But stopping the Tide’s roll is the first step.

Georgia showed it may have the ability to do that — perhaps in this year’s SEC Championship Game — if it can continue its winning ways.

“Keep chopping wood, and let’s get some more,” Smart said post-game Saturday.

Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm threw one touchdown pass and ran for two more majors.

Stud running back Nick Chubb added 109 yards rushing to help Georgia run to its first 5-0 start since 2012, the last year the Bulldogs reached the SEC Championship Game.

It was also Georgia’s 800th all-time victory.

Adding to the Bulldogs banner day, QB Jacob Eason returned to the field with the game well in hand in the fourth quarter. It was his first game action since spraining his knee as the starter in the season opener.

Meanwhile, with Vols superstar alum Peyton Manning on hand, the home side looked completely lost.

Tennessee hadn’t been shut out since a 31-0 loss to the rival Florida Gators in 1994. Georgia forced four turnovers, allowed just 142 total yards and limited SEC-rushing leader John Kelly to 44 yards on 16 carries.

And to add insult to injury, punter Trevor Daniel, one of Tennessee’s bright spots this season, drove a low punt that went off the face of the Bulldogs’ D’Andre Walker to set up the visiting side’s final touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

“It was as bad of an offensive performance as I’ve ever been a part of,” Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said. “It’s inexcusable.

“Everyone should hurt,” added Jones, who was criticized leading into the week for partly blaming the media for the team’s sudden struggles. “If it doesn’t hurt, then that shows you’re not heavily invested. If you’re invested, you hurt. This one stings. It’s going to take a while. Like I told them, if you don’t feel like coming to practice, you better remember how you feel right now. And if that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is.”

SECOND DOWN

Tennessee saluted Manning during a halftime ceremony to congratulate him on his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction. As Manning was walking off the field, he completed a pass to former Tennessee teammate Joey Kent in the endzone … No. 1 Alabama (4-0) welcomed scandal-ridden Ole Miss (2-1) to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in a late game Saturday . . . No. 2 Clemson (4-0) went to war last night against No. 12 Virginia Tech (4-0) in the Terrordome of Blacksburg, Va., in a key ACC battle that could well help decide a spot in the College Football Playoff . . . A 98-yard TD return off the opening kickoff by Heisman Trophy frontrunner Saquon Barkley put No. 4 Penn State (5-0) in the driver’s seat against visiting Indiana (2-2) in a 45-14 victory. The terrific runback jump-started the home side to a 28-0 lead, and Barkley ended up with 206 all-purpose yards.

THIRD DOWN

The demise of the mighty No. 5 USC Trojans (4-1) was right on cue Friday night against No. 16 Washington State (5-0), as much-hyped QB Sam Darnold fumbled away the ball late to preserve the Wazzu win, 30-27 in Pullman, Wash. Darnold and USC, the PAC-12 darlings leading up to the season, remind us of when QB Matt Barkley and the 2012 edition of the Trojans were highly touted before falling early to Stanford and never recovering in a 7-6 campaign. It didn’t help USC’s cause Friday that it lost three players prior to game-time — one hospitalized in LT Toa Lobendahn (possible skin infection) and two in LB Jordan Iosefa (concussion protocol) and WR Jalen Greene (concussion protocol) after colliding with each other — and four others during the game, including two other offensive lineman in RT Chuma Edoga (ankle) and RT Viane Talamaivao (pectoral) . . . Quote of the week from Wazzu head coach Mike Leach post-win after fans flooded the field Friday night in Pullman: “It’s a good win. There’s lots of people. It’s like Woodstock except everybody’s got their clothes on.” . . . No. 6 Washington (5-0) put up 35 second-half points en route to a 42-7 pounding of host Oregon State (1-4) … No. 10 Wisconsin (4-0) shook off three early turnovers to dump Northwestern (2-2) 33-24 in a Big 10 West biggie. Wiscy’s now the only 4-0 team (overall) left in the Big 10 West after host Minnesota (3-1) was upset by banged-up Maryland (3-1) 31-24 on a late 34-yard TD scamper by Ty Johnson, who had 130 total . . . The other big Big Ten team, No. 1 Ohio State (4-1), destroyed host Rutgers 56-0.

FOURTH DOWN

No. 13 Auburn (4-1) smoked No. 24 Mississippi State (3-2) 49-10 in an SEC rivalry game … Heisman-holder Lamar Jackson put up 249 passing yards and 100 more along the ground to lead No. 17 Louisville (4-1) to a 55-10 victory over FCS Murray State (1-4) … The pre-season Group of Five pick, No. 18 South Florida (5-0), was the second program to reach five wins this season — after Wazzu, of course — following a 61-31 smoke of East Carolina (1-4) . . . No. 21 Florida (3-1) has now tied an FBS record with Michigan for putting up at least one score in 365 consecutive games after a first-quarter TD in a 38-24 blitz of visiting Vanderbilt (3-2). FLA was last shutout in 1988. Saturday’s triumph saw Florida lose starting QB Luke Del Rio (shoulder) but get five TDs from its oft-criticized group of running backs . . . ESPN College GameDay prognosticator Lee Corso’s story about his car being the only one struck by lightning in the Virginia Tech stadium’s parking lot during a game in Blacksburg some years back brought on much hilarity during Saturday morning’s show. The best part was the t-shirt he got from fans saying, ‘I don’t know what a Hokie is, but God is one of them — Lee Corso.’ At his own peril, Corso didn’t pick the Hokies to beat Clemson on Saturday.

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